We either stand together or we will stand divided
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, European leaders gathered to draw a line against what they see as a new American unilateralism — tariff threats tied to territorial ambitions over Greenland — declaring that the age of appeasement has passed. Macron, von der Leyen, and others spoke in the language of sovereignty and solidarity, invoking the rule of law against what they called the law of the strongest. Yet even as the speeches rang with unity, quieter voices in the same halls urged pragmatism, warning that wounded pride makes for poor diplomacy. The continent now faces the oldest of geopolitical dilemmas: how to hold firm, stay together, and remain indispensable — all at once.
- Trump's threat to impose tariffs on European allies who resist his Greenland ambitions has forced the continent into a confrontation it spent years trying to avoid.
- Macron, von der Leyen, and De Wever delivered unusually direct warnings at Davos, signaling that flattery and accommodation have run their course as strategies.
- Beneath the unified rhetoric, senior bankers and executives privately accused European leaders of letting emotional offense cloud their capacity for serious negotiation.
- Zelenskyy complicated the picture further, conditioning his engagement on U.S. security guarantees even as Russian strikes cut heat to half of Kyiv.
- An emergency EU summit Thursday will weigh trade retaliation options, though the deeper question — how to resist Washington while keeping it invested in Ukraine — has no clean answer.
The World Economic Forum in Davos became a stage for European defiance on Tuesday, as leaders gathered to push back against Donald Trump's tariff threats and his stated ambition to acquire Greenland. The response from Brussels and European capitals was swift and pointed: Europe would not be coerced.
Emmanuel Macron set the tone, rejecting what he called 'the law of the strongest' and warning that appeasement had run its course. He positioned Europe's commitment to rule of law as a source of stability that markets were undervaluing. Ursula von der Leyen called for a 'new independent Europe,' while Belgian Prime Minister De Wever said years of trying to win Trump's favor over Ukraine had left the continent in a weak position. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch put it plainly: stroking the cat along the grain would not work this time.
Yet the unity on stage masked real divisions. Senior bankers and executives, speaking anonymously, argued that European leaders were too offended by Trump's style to engage in pragmatic negotiation. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged calm, telling the assembled crowd to 'take a deep breath.'
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added further complexity, saying he would engage with global leaders only if the U.S. committed to security guarantees and a post-war reconstruction plan for Ukraine — even as a massive Russian air attack had just cut heating to half of Kyiv. European nations were preparing an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to weigh trade retaliation, but the continent's deeper challenge remained unresolved: how to resist American pressure, protect Ukraine, and forge an independent path — simultaneously.
The World Economic Forum in Davos became a stage for European defiance on Tuesday, as the continent's leaders gathered to project unity against what they framed as American overreach. Donald Trump had announced tariffs on European allies who opposed his stated ambition to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, and the response from Brussels and European capitals was swift: Europe would not be bullied into submission.
French President Emmanuel Macron set the tone, telling the assembled business and political elite that the European Union must reject "the law of the strongest." He called it "crazy" that Europe was even contemplating the use of its anti-coercion instrument—a trade weapon—against the United States. Yet his words carried a steely edge. Europe, he insisted, preferred respect to capitulation. The message was clear: flattery and appeasement, the strategies some European leaders had attempted in the past to win Trump's favor, would no longer suffice. Macron saw an opening, too. He suggested that Europe's commitment to rule of law and predictability was undervalued by markets, positioning the continent as a more stable alternative to American unpredictability.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, echoed the call for independence without naming Trump directly. The speed and scale of global change had created consensus in Europe around the need for autonomy, she said. "It is time to seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe," she declared. Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever was more blunt. Europe, he said, stood at a crossroads after years of trying to appease Trump in hopes of securing his support for Ukraine. That strategy had left the continent in a "very bad position." The only path forward was unity. "We either stand together or we will stand divided," he said.
Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch offered a particularly vivid formulation of the new European posture. Stroking the cat along the line of its fur would not work this time, she told Reuters. The EU needed to toughen up and hold the line, keeping trade retaliation options ready. The message from Europe's leadership was unmistakable: the era of accommodation was over.
Yet beneath the surface of this unified front lay fractures. Some of Europe's most senior bankers and executives, speaking anonymously at Davos, criticized the European response as emotional rather than pragmatic. They argued that leaders were so offended by Trump's style and rhetoric that they refused to engage in serious negotiation. One senior banker told Reuters that Europe's problem was precisely this: a continent too divided and too wounded to move together, unable to separate the president's message from his manner. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seemed to echo this view, urging calm and warning against jumping to worst-case scenarios. "Calm down the hysteria," he said. "Take a deep breath."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy injected another layer of complexity into the Davos conversation. He said he was prepared to meet with global leaders, but only if the United States was willing to sign documents guaranteeing Ukraine's security and committing to a post-war prosperity plan. His statement underscored the central tension facing Europe: how to stand firm against Trump while maintaining American support for Ukraine, a country still under Russian assault. A massive Russian air attack had just cut heating to half of Kyiv and damaged substations the UN's atomic watchdog deemed vital for nuclear safety. Zelenskyy urged the U.S. to increase pressure on Russia.
European countries were preparing for an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss potential retaliation against the new tariffs, which they argued violated a trade agreement reached with the U.S. the previous year. Executives were also expected to meet to discuss post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, though sources close to the matter suggested that substantive decisions were unlikely without peace first. The continent faced a puzzle with no obvious solution: how to resist American pressure, maintain transatlantic unity on Ukraine, and chart an independent course—all at once.
Notable Quotes
We do believe that we need more growth, we need more stability in this world, but we do prefer respect to bullies.— Emmanuel Macron, French President
Stroking the cat along the line of its fur is not going to do the trick this time. The EU needs to toughen up and hold the line.— Ebba Busch, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why are European leaders so insistent on this language of unity when, by your own account, they're deeply divided on strategy?
Because division is what Trump exploits. If Europe fractures—some countries negotiating separately, others holding firm—he wins without firing a shot. The unity is partly real conviction, partly necessary theater.
But the bankers seem to think the theater is the problem. That Europe's emotional response is preventing actual negotiation.
That's the trap. If you negotiate from a position of anger, you negotiate from weakness. But if you appear too eager to negotiate, you signal that the threats work. Europe is trying to thread a needle that may not have a thread.
What about Ukraine in all this? Zelenskyy's conditions seem almost like leverage against Europe itself.
Not leverage—desperation dressed as conditions. He needs security guarantees and reconstruction money. He can't get those without American involvement. So he's saying: I'll show up if you're serious. It's a way of forcing the conversation to matter.
And the Greenland thing—is that actually serious, or theater?
That's the question no one can answer with certainty, which is precisely why it works as a negotiating tool. The ambiguity itself is the weapon.
So Europe's best move is what, exactly?
Stay united long enough to negotiate from strength, but not so rigid that negotiation becomes impossible. It's exhausting, and it may not work.